Tag Archives: Yoga Workshops

Saturday 18th June 2016 1.45-3.45pm at Embody Wellness, Vauxhall
The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year and also marks the first day of (astronomical) Summer, the Fire season. The heat and energy of fire can energise, encouraging us to live life to the full, but it can also consume, bringing out our fiery temperament or leaving us drained – so it is important to keep this energy in balance. Consequently, this season can be a good time to reduce the intensity and heat of our yoga practice with slower practices such as yin. By being in the yin yoga poses for 3-5 minutes at a time we open the meridian lines (energy channels) and allow our Qi (energy) to travel more freely through the body.

In TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) Summer is connected with the Heart and Small Intestine meridians. In this workshop we will practice a sequence targeting these meridians (with a particular emphasis on the upper body) to encourage balance in both body and mind.

Join me at Embody Wellness for this special heart-themed February workshop. We will practice a mix of restorative yoga poses to open the heart space in the physical body and yin yoga poses to stimulate the heart and small intestine meridians which govern our capacity to love and be loved.

Imbalanced heart and small intestine Qi can result in digestive problems, heartburn, poor circulation, heart problems and low moods. When heart Qi is balanced we can have a greater ability to connect with others, feel more vitality, joy and inner peace.

Yin and restorative yoga are both deep, meditative practices which activate the parasympathetic nervous system (calming the body’s fight/flight response). Poses can typically held for 3 to 10 minutes or longer. In yin, the focus is on moving deeper into the connective tissues of the body (ligaments, tendons and fascia – the cling-film-like ‘tissue’ which holds our muscles together), while in restorative the emphasis is more on facilitating physiological rest to promote deep relaxation.

We will close our workshop practice with a calming Yoga Nidra (‘Yogic Sleep’) meditation.

Thank You to Everyone who came along to my New Year Detox Yin Yoga Workshop where we practised yin poses to stimulate the liver and gallbladder meridians.

If you weren’t able to be there, here is a pose you can try at home.

According to TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) the meridians are the channels through which our Qi (energy) flows throughout the body. The gallbladder, liver and kidneys are all important organs in the body’s detoxification process. At this time of year when our minds often turn to detoxing, poses like Butterfly may be of some assistance.

In this pose the gallbladder meridian (running along the outer legs) is stimulated. If you bring the feet closer to the groin, then the liver and kidney meridians (running along the insides of the legs and groin) can be stimulated too.

As well as opening the hips and activating the thighs without straining the hamstrings, Butterfly provides a lovely stretch of the whole back.

To get into the pose:

– Sit with your back straight and legs in front of you
– Bring the soles of your feet together and allow both knees to fall out to the side (your legs should be in a diamond shape, so there is a significant space between your heels and hips)
– From here you can stay upright or begin to fold the upper body forward (allowing the back to round). Come forward as far as your body will allow without forcing or straining.
– If you are folding further forward, you may find some support under the forehead would be more comfortable. In this instance, you could use a block or bolster for support, or you may wish to rest your forehead on your hands.

Remain here for three to five minutes. To exit the pose, on an inhale gently uncurl back up to sitting.

If practising this pose seated is troublesome for your lower back or knees you can try sitting on a cushion or block and placing support under the knees. Another option is to try this pose against a wall (as I’m demonstrating in the picture below). I find this wall version can be very soothing for my lower back.

Enjoy practising this pose!

NB – If you are in London, I am teaching ‘Open Your Heart: A Yin & Restorative Yoga Workshop’ on Saturday 27th February 1.45-3.45pm at Embody Wellness. For details and booking please click here.

Each month on my U Can Yoga website I have been featuring yoga related books that I’ve really enjoyed and want to share with you guys reading out there. For anyone who has missed the titles featured so far, I am including some my previous ‘Books of the Month’ here. I hope you enjoy:

Insight Yoga by Sarah Powers

Insight Yoga by Sarah Powers

Sarah Powers combines elements of yoga, traditional Chinese medicine and Buddhism in this fantastic and easy to follow introduction and guide to Yin yoga.

Including chapters on meridian theory, how to begin a Yin/Yang yoga practice, pranayama and mindfulness meditation, this book makes self-practice simple.

You will find Yin sequences with clear photos, dedicated to different meridians (e.g. sequences for the liver and gallbladder) and Yang (dynamic flow) sequences for balancing a Yin practice. Added to this, Sarah Powers’ chapter on her personal journey, from graduating with a degree in transpersonal psychology and her humbling experience of her first yoga class in the mid-1980s to her now twenty-plus years of practice, puts into context why she is so passionate about yoga and sharing these practices and this comes through beautifully in her writing style throughout the book.

As an aside, if you are in London this New Year, I am teaching New Year Detox Yin Yoga Workshop – a practice to stimulate the liver and gallbladder meridians (two organs that play an essential part in the body’s detoxification process) on Sunday 3rd January 2016 1.30-3.30pm at EmbodyWellness. For further details and to book please click here.

Join me for this calming and nourishing workshop which will introduce you to the principles and many benefits of Restorative Yoga. As we shift into Winter, the yin season, the emphasis of our practice will be to nourish and calm our selves, storing and reserving energy in preparation of the season ahead.

In Restorative Yoga (sometimes referred to as ‘active relaxation’) we consciously manipulate the nervous system to create ease. Props are used to facilitate relaxation by supporting the body in passive postures for extended periods (anything from 5 to 20 minutes). While the body is supported we can completely relax into each posture. This enables us to relieve the negative effects of day-to-day stress, calming the body’s “fight flight” response to facilitate proper rest.

A Huge Thank You to Everyone who came along to my Introduction to Yin Yoga Workshop at Embody Wellness at the end of August. I’m excited to be teaching my next Yin Yoga workshop on Sunday 4th October at Pop Brixton as part of their Wellness Week from 27th September – 4th October. This pioneering new space, created with the local community in mind showcases the best and most exciting independent start-ups and new businesses from Brixton and Lambeth where they can share space, skills and ideas. And with my workshop taking place between 11am and 1pm, it’s perfectly timed for a spot of brunch/lunch at one of Pop Brixton‘s many tasty eateries!

An ideal complement to more dynamic practises which emphasise the “yang” tissues (e.g.dynamic yoga or sport training), Yin Yoga allows us to target the deeper “yin” tissues of our bodies. In this workshop we will let go of the striving typically associated with yang practices to slow down and meet our edges with awareness. As you move through each pose the meditative pace of the practice has a calming effect on the mind as well as the body.

If you missed my last Introduction to Yin Yoga workshop at Easter, I am teaching this workshop again at Embody Wellness this August.

Yin Yoga is a quiet, meditative, floor-based practice where poses are held for several minutes. It is about softening and staying.

In this workshop you will experience some of the fundamental Yin postures, gain an understanding of some of the basic concepts and benefits of Yin Yoga, the characteristics of Yin and Yang nature and the value of a passive practice.

An ideal complement to more dynamic practices which emphasise the muscular “yang” tissues, Yin Yoga allows us to target the deeper “yin” tissues of our bodies, stimulating the energy pathways, or meridians and the deep connective tissues of the hips, pelvis, and spine in particular.

Suitable for all levels except complete yoga beginners and pregnant students. To book please click here.

And to learn more about Yin Yoga and it’s benefits, click here to read my article on the Embody Wellness blog.

Join me for an Introduction to Yin Yoga – a quiet, meditative, floor-based practice where poses are held for several minutes. With Yin Yoga, it’s all about softening and staying.

In this workshop you will experience some of the fundamental Yin postures and gain an understanding of some of the basic concepts and benefits of Yin Yoga including the characteristics of Yin and Yang nature and the value of a passive practice.

An ideal complement to more dynamic practices which emphasise the muscular “yang” tissues, Yin Yoga allows us to target the deeper “yin” tissues of our bodies. While Yin Yoga might appear easy, yin practice can be quite challenging due to the duration of the poses which are held anywhere from one to ten minutes. Holding the poses for an extended period stimulates the body’s energy pathways (meridians), and gently stretches our deep connective tissue, particularly in the hips, pelvis, and spine.

Benefits of this practice include the promotion of deep relaxation and improvement of flexibility and mobility. In addition, Yin Yoga encourages the cultivation of a calm state of mind.

Join me for a nourishing practice which will introduce to you the principles of Restorative Yoga and show you how to set yourself up comfortably in each pose.

In Restorative Yoga (sometimes referred to as ‘active relaxation’) we consciously manipulate the nervous system to create ease. Props are used to facilitate relaxation by supporting the body in passive postures for extended periods. While the body is supported we can completely relax into each posture. This enables us to relieve the effects of negative day-to-day stress, calming the body’s ‘fight flight’ response to facilitate proper rest.

Highly recommended if you are seeking stress relief or need to unwind.

NEW for 2014 - Beginners Yoga Courses in Pimlico with Stretching the City

“You can learn new things at any time in your life if you’re willing to be a beginner. If you actually learn to like being a beginner, the whole world opens up to you.” – Barbara Sher

Is one of your goals for 2014 to start a yoga practice or do you know someone who would like to take up yoga? Or maybe you’d like to go back to basics in your own practice. On Tuesday evenings from January 14th onwards I’m thrilled to be teaching Stretching the City‘s popular 6-week beginners yoga course in Pimlico, SW1 at The Men’s Club, St Gabriel’s Halls – their first South London venue.

From the Stretching the City website:
“Committing to a course of yoga classes will bring focus and frequency to your practice. So, whether you’re a brand new beginner just stepping on the mat, or a head-standing old hat looking to get back to basics, Stretching the City’s 6 week beginners course aims to teach you the basic postures, practices and philosophies of yoga. By the end of the course you should feel confident enough to come to drop-in classes, on yoga retreats, or even to practice at home.”

You can click here for further course info and to book please email sally@stretchingthecity.com.

And if you’re just after a quick refresher instead of a complete course, then you can click here and scroll down for details of the ‘Back to Basics’ Beginners Workshop coming up next month.